Fire near Leavenworth now 10% contained

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LEAVENWORTH — It is now day four for firefighters battling the Eagle Fire near Leavenworth.

So far nearly 1,200 acres have burned and dozens of homes are threatened by the blaze that is now 10% contained.

Yesterday, five choppers doused the flames along Eagle Creek Road hoping to preserve their fire lines and save homes. Today looks calm as crews started mopping up hot spots.

Nearly 600 firefighters from across Washington State are now on the ground trying to get a handle on the wild fire.

The steep, dusty terrain is a challenge for firefighters and now the blaze is pushing into places that are even harder to reach.

Survey aircraft keep a close eye on the fire’s movement for now, but the heavy smoke is keeping helicopter pilots from attacking the blaze from the air.

“We really can’t be effective with our air resources because they can’t see what they’re doing until that smoke lifts out,” said incident commander Cody Rohrbach. “It becomes a safety issue for pilots and the folks on the ground.”

Residents placed signs at their driveways thankful for the firefighter’s hard work.

And while it appears crews are gaining the upper hand, evacuated homeowners won’t rest until they are clear to return to their property.